MJF Images Fine Art landscape, nature and travel images from the American West and around the world.

Archive for the ‘Santa Fe’ Tag

The ranch land near Zion Canyon in Utah is among the most scenic in the country.

We might as well face it. America is no longer what it once was. Not long ago this was a country that relied on small-scale farming and ranching. They fed the cities with their increasingly important manufacturing economies. Perhaps more importantly they helped to form the country’s very identity. Farms, ranches and small towns have traditionally been a well that we drew upon to create a dynamic, growing nation. Many American thinkers and inventors were born and raised in small-town farming communities. To take a more specific example, American fighter pilots in both world wars learned their bold flying skills as young men in crop-dusting planes. There are countless other examples.

Nearly every region of the country has become more developed and populated. Cities have grown steadily; suburban areas surrounding them have grown even faster. And it’s these so-called exurban areas that have spilled out into formerly rural areas. Large parts of rural America have literally been paved over, changing them for the foreseeable future. But it’s not all gone, not by a long shot. You can still experience much of this country’s rural charm if you’re willing to leave the cities, get off the main highways and slow down.

And that is what this series is all about: travelling off the beaten track to experience some of the country’s rural charm. The introductory post discussed the growing rural-urban divide in America, but Part II left politics behind and focused on my home-region, the Pacific Northwest. This post will zero in on a unique part of the country: the amazing Desert Southwest.

It’s always fun finding an old buckboard wagon. In the dry air of the Southwest, they are well preserved.

Geography & History

The unique geography of the Desert Southwest is centered on an enormous geographic feature called the Colorado Plateau. This large chunk of elevated land extends across southwest Colorado, southern Utah and northern parts of Arizona and New Mexico. But the desert SW region extends west of the Plateau into the southern Great Basin of Nevada and SE California.

It also includes the low, hot deserts of southern Arizona, and actually continues south into Mexico, though it’s a different culture altogether there. Anyone considering a trip into the far southwest of the U.S., however, should seriously consider Baja California as an extension. The peninsula is amazing, the people friendly, and it is far safer than mainland Mexico at the moment.

What draws visitors today presented challenges to early explorers and settlers. It is an arid region of vast treeless plains on one hand, and steep bare-rock canyons and mountains on the other. Rivers are often incised into inaccessible canyons and follow torturous routes. One can’t easily follow a river for a distance then take a shortcut across a meander to save days of travel. And if you do manage to exit a precipitous canyon, water is very difficult to find.

The beautiful Baja Peninsula, Mexico, is an extension of the Desert SW of the U.S.

Appropriation

Ancient Ones to Spain to Mexico to USA

This region has been occupied for thousands of years by native groups. Spanish explorers entered the region beginning in the 16th century. During America’s westward expansion in the 1800s, the Desert Southwest was merely a barrier to cross in order to reach California. Most of it then belonged to Spain, and all roads led to Santa Fe. This still-beautiful city was the only significant settlement in the entire region. Today you can see some of the earliest buildings constructed by white people on the North American continent in Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico (see image below).

But you do not have to travel very far to see houses built long before that. Chaco Canyon and other sites are what remains of the ancient ones. Ancestral Puebloans (aka Anasazi), and before them the Basketmakers, inhabited these parts for thousands of years. They had success farming maize (corn) and beans, and they even mined for copper, silver and gold.

A hike in New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon takes you past the so-called Supernova pictograph.

Despite the area’s harsh climate and geography, this region has the longest history of European incursion in the west. That is because the Catholic Church in Spain, specifically the Jesuits, established missions here going back to the 16th century. Santa Fe was founded in 1608. That’s 12 years before 102 travellers aboard a ship called the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock.

The San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe, originally built in 1610.

Santa Fe is the oldest capital city on American soil. It served as the capital of New Mexico for Spain, then Mexico after their war of independence. It was not long Mexico’s, as in the 1840s first Texas, then the U.S. military fought for control of New Mexico. It was ceded to the U.S. in 1848 after the Mexican-American War.

Taos to the north is also very old. The famous American frontiersman, Kit Carson, who first arrived in Santa Fe in 1826 and made his fame as a mountain man, scout and fierce fighter, lived there for years with his Mexican wife Josefa. They had eight children together.

Window on the historic Kit Carson home: Taos, NM

The famous Santa Fe trail, like the Oregon Trail to the north, began as a trading route that later became much more important as a route carrying American settlers west. Unlike the Oregon Trail it traveled through truly hostile (American) Indian country. The Apaches and Comanche did not tolerate trespassers and were feared much more than most tribes to the north (some Sioux bands excepted).

An old trading post on the Santa Fe Trail, New Mexico.

Mining in the Southwest

The Desert Southwest has from the beginning of European exploration been a target of mining. While ranching and farming faced the realities of the region’s dry, harsh climate and geography, mining had “only” to overcome the fierce Apache. I mentioned the early missionary efforts by Spain. If you know anything about imperial Spain, you know their desire to bring savage tribes into the Catholic fold was only surpassed by their lust for silver and gold.

When the U.S. took control of the Southwest, mining continued. But since the American military generally had more success putting down native tribes than had the Spanish and Mexicans, and because the U.S. government put in place several incentives and subsidies (e.g. the 1872 Mining Act), mining bloomed in the region. For visitors interested in history and in exploring rural parts of the region, the remains of mines large and small are not hard to find. And so are the ghost towns that once boomed in support of the miners.

Old mine workings like this one are not hard to find if you ramble around exploring in the Southwest. This is in New Mexico’s Mogollon Mtns.

In the early 1850s Mormons began to settle the Desert Southwest. Originally settling the Salt Lake Valley, they soon pushed south into canyon country. The remains of their homesteads are visible in many places, and often in very scenic locations (see image below). Like the Catholics long before them, they too founded missions in order to convert the natives.

Cowboys & Indians

One final piece of the region’s history has perhaps received much more attention than it deserves from a historical perspective. Stories of the old west that romanticize cowboys and outlaws have always had the power to capture our attention. In the Desert SW you can visit the old hideouts of legends like Billy the Kid, Butch Cassidy, James Averill and the Hole in the Wall Gang. It’s also easy to visit old movie sets and eat at the same cafes, drink at the same bars as did old-time movie stars like John Wayne and Gregory Peck.

Billy the Kid started young. Click image for the source webpage.

For example, Kanab, Utah celebrates the era of Hollywood westerns at the same time it enjoys its location close to scenic wonders like Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. Monument Valley is a place where the Navajo Nation shares the spotlight not only with the dramatic scenery but with the area’s history as setting for the famous collaboration between director John Ford and actor John Wayne.

The old Mormon homestead at Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.

Road Tripping the Southwest

It is somewhat overwhelming to contemplate a trip to this enormous region. You can too easily bite off more than you can chew. And you can’t have a good time if you’re behind the wheel for your whole vacation. Decide what you’d most like to see and how much time you have. Then decide whether you can swing several trips (preferable) or must choose the one area that most ignites your imagination.

In succeeding posts we will travel from west to east in a series of road trips. They are those I have done, many several times, and I chose them because they not only visit spectacular natural wonders but take off down two-lane country roads with only locals (mostly bovine) for company. The idea is to get you off the beaten track to see the charm of the rural Southwest. I’ll repeat myself: whatever you do don’t try to see everything at once. You can’t travel, for example, from Anza Borrego in California’s Mojave to New Mexico’s high desert and hope to see much outside of gas stations and roadside eateries. That is, unless you have at least 3 months to travel. Thanks for reading!

I had never been to this part of the country and I wanted to see why it was so popular as a travel destination. Great Sand Dunes National Park was still closed because of the Govt. shutdown, and thinking it might open very soon (which happened) I made the detour down from south-central Colorado last week.

I drove down to the little town of Questa in spitting snow. Camping above the Rio Grande River, I woke next morning to find about 4 inches of snow had fallen. The weather gradually cleared and warmed a bit over the next few days. I made my way first to Taos and then to New Mexico’s capital Santa Fe. Both are chock-full of adobe architecture, some of it very old and restored. This post will give tips for visiting the region and touch on its history. Images of the architecture will take center stage.

The Rio Grande Gorge near Questa, New Mexico on a snowy morning.

Both Santa Fe and Taos are great for strolling and exploring. Santa Fe is the more touristy of the two and is larger. But you’ll find no tall buildings in Santa Fe, and really not much traffic. Both are small enough to walk but Taos is very much a town compared to Santa Fe, which is a small city.

Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Santa Fe

I started in Santa Fe, America’s oldest state capital (and highest at 7000 feet). It was founded by the Spanish in 1607 and played a big role in the early western expansion of the U.S. Many famous people have spent time here, both in historic and more recent times. The artist Georgia O’Keefe lived and painted here in the early 20th century. It also has a world-renowned opera.

There is paid parking throughout the downtown area, in old-fashioned coin meters. If you’re willing to walk into the center, you can find free parking. I visited the friendly Capital Coffee, which is only 5 minutes walk from the edge of the historic center. After coffee, I used their parking lot to strike off into the streets and shoot. I was only a little over an hour doing this. I would not take advantage and spend half the day parked there.

Adobe houses are, above all, simple. You can see the straw used in the adobe.

I recommend simply wandering through the streets around the central plaza. The plaza (zocalo in Mexico) is a good landmark to keep circling back to. There are innumerable art galleries to visit of course. The town is a magnet for artists of all stripes. I focused on shooting exteriors here. I photographed mostly when the sun was low but not so low that shadows dominated.

Built in 1607, this is America’s “oldest” house, though since it is adobe, it’s been continuously patched and rebuilt over the years.

Rather than list places to visit, I urge you to check out Wiki’s travel guide (which includes a walking map) or do your own Googling. For the rich history of this 400+-year old city, you couldn’t do much better than start with the Palace of the Governors. This is the former center of Spain’s colonial government here and is now New Mexico’s state history museum.

While you’re strolling, it’s very worthwhile trying to get access to the placitas (commonly called courtyards in most areas). Placitas characterize the architecture here. Found throughout Latin America as well, here these delightful open-air spaces are surrounded by low-slung adobe buildings. During my travels in Mexico, Central and South America, courtyards have been a favorite place to chill out and soak in the sun: reading, journaling and relaxing.

Inside a traditional placita, this one at the Blumenshein Home in Taos.

Traditionally several families would live in the homes bordering the placita, sharing it as an outdoor living and animal husbandry area. Some flowers and other plants were grown but placitas were not traditionally devoted to gardens as they mostly seem to be these days. Modern placitas (courtyards) also differ in being most often surrounded by one single-family dwelling.

I found Taos to be much easier than Santa Fe in terms of wandering in and out of placitas, but you might have better luck than I did in Santa Fe.

The Scottish Rite Cathedral is located a mile or so from the center of Santa Fe but is a magnificent building worth photographing.

The moon rises over the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Santa Fe.

I like Taos a little better than Santa Fe. Santa Fe seems a bit strange to me. Maybe it’s because of all the tourism clashing with history clashing with the modern influx of wealthy retirees clashing with the older residents of the area (many Native American) clashing with the new-age types. It seems to me to be a place lacking an identity. Also, real estate prices are way out of whack.

So much of the adobe in Santa Fe looks like it was built yesterday, which I think takes away from the real history of the place. Taos suffers some of the same, but I’ve found this effect to run rampant throughout the world, anywhere history and authenticity gets in the way of modern life and “progress”. At least they keep to adobe construction and style here.

A house in Taos.

Taos

Taos has some of the same vibe as Santa Fe but it’s much smaller and has a definite character. Besides being a gateway to mountain recreation (including great skiing), Taos is a fine place to wander around and photograph. Kit Carson, the famous scout and mountain man lived here. Or I should say his hispanic wife and their kids lived here while he passed through from time to time.

One of the few windows in Kit Carson’s old home.

The restored placita next to the Kit Carson Home in Taos, New Mexico.

There is a main plaza in Taos as well. In Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America these zocalos or plazas seem to be much more “alive” with activity than in Taos and Santa Fe. I think it’s because of all the limitations in the U.S. for people to just set up carts with cheap eats. Here they serve as centers for shopping, much of it high end. In Mexico they’re places for street performers, strolling couples and great street food. The ones in New Mexico look just like zocalos but are not the same at all.

A church-bell in Taos.

You can park very near the plaza at one of the public parking lots (feed coins into the meters) or look for free spots 10 minutes walk to the plaza. You can just wander through the streets surrounding the plaza. The placita bordered by Kit Carson’s house is interesting, restored to near what it would have looked like. The placita at the Blumenshein Home is a great one too, and the narrow street it’s on, Ledoux, is lined with attractive adobe architecture.

A great mural at the entrance to Ledoux Street in Taos, New Mexico.

A couple places I neglected on this trip but which are certainly worth checking out are Taos Peublo just north of town and Ranchos de Taos a couple miles south of town. Taos Pueblo has some of the oldest buildings in the area. At Ranchos de Taos, the deservedly famous San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church is an amazing building. I suppose I need to skip some things to have an excuse to return!

A bit of fall color in Taos, New Mexico.

This high and beautiful area of New Mexico is certainly worth visiting. The climate is darn near perfect and the Sangre de Cristos Mountains are gorgeous. Also, the Rio Grande River flows through it. It’s a very beautiful stream that runs in and out of rugged canyons. One morning I took a frosty walk along the river and found some fall colors (image below).

As usual, clicking on any of the images takes you to my gallery page, and all the pictures are copyrighted and not available for free download without my permission. Please contact me if you are interested in any of them; they’ll be uploaded to my site soon. Thanks for reading and have a superb week!

The Rio Grande River and colorful cottonwoods between Santa Fe & Taos, New Mexico.

A photo & travel blog with a difference: Instead of strict focus on photo how-to, gear and the like, I'll pass on knowledge about the places and cultures photographed. I believe the more deeply you come to know a place, the better your pictures will be.

My past careers as science teacher and geologist mean that I can't help but teach about the natural history of photogenic places around the world. But photography is not forgotten. You'll also see practical tips about where and how to photograph the destinations. And once a week, Friday Foto Talk gives photography tips and how-to on a selected topic, for novices on up to expert.

What you won't find here is endless discussion about me braving dangerous weather, terrain or wild animals to get the shot. Nor will there be cheerleading gear talk or marketing pitches. I promise to leave that to other blogs, of which there are many.

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